My current work is a celebration of the now, it does not seek to find beauty in what has been or should be, nor does it find refuge in cerebral abstraction. It is crisp and bright, a clean statement of what is. Thin washes of paint are layered on and sanded back to lend subtle hints of color to the highs and lows of thicker oil paint applications, juxtaposed with deliberate dripping of the paint adding dimension and interest to my contemporary landscapes.

This experimentation gives my work a gritty truthfulness; like an aging actor, we see and can appreciate elements that might be considered blemishes in more traditional landscapes. In addition, I strive for an honest enthusiasm in my aesthetic as I create images that are both unafraid and pure.

My After The Interstate series is a reflection of what we see everyday. As a continuation of my overall concept of “celebrating the now", I focus on urban infrastructure where we tend to turn a blind eye: back alleys, forgotten back sides of commercial buildings, empty parking lots, overhead power lines.

Although we may notice this forsaken terrain from time to time, and recognize it for its blight, I feel if we pay more attention we can appreciate the wonderful colors on each large plane of neglect. Quiet shadows cast through the landscape reveal angles, delicate lines, and subtle highs and lows of shifting concrete and brick, hidden when not in shadows. Worn out paint on the side of buildings, changes of color, the shape a shadow posses as it drapes across the ground and then climbs up a wall: these are all visual elements that inspire me.

After the Interstate is simply an honest statement of what is. Through the medium of paint, I acknowledge the truthfulness and beauty of the blemishes in our urban landscapes.

Born and raised in Taylorsville, a suburb in the middle of the Salt Lake Valley, Shea continually taught himself from instructional books and enrolled in classes at the nearby art store. In high school, Shea was introduced to the Graphic Arts and there developed an interest in type and visual communication, which later would become a major influence in his work. While he always wanted to become an artist, he didn't study art initially when he first enrolled in college. Instead, he spent years studying philosophy and psychology.

It wasn't until his fourth year in college he decided to change his major to Fine Art and study at the University of Utah. There he was able to obtain a dual emphasis in both Graphic Design and Painting, and worked under John Erickson, MacRay Magleby, Tom Hoffman, Brad Slaugh, Dung Hoang, and others. In 2004 he obtained a BFA. Upon graduation, Shea went to work as a Graphic Designer in Salt Lake City, continuing his painting at home at night after his kids went to bed. Shea loved his work as a Designer and the people he worked with. After much thought and consideration he with his family decided to move to Cache Valley in early 2008 to focus on his painting.

Shea currently resides in Logan, living with his wife and three children. There he paints and devotes his time to exploring what paint can do, all the while growing as an artist.